Cleaning wipes are an everyday feature in environments where the removal of contaminants may be necessary, for example as a result of a spill. The cleanliness requirements for objects used and people working in controlled environments, such as clean rooms, are very stringent. In particular, cleaning materials such as wipes for wiping spills and cleaning surfaces should be very clean to avoid contamination of the work in process in the room. For example, in the construction of semiconductor wafers, wipes are used for cleaning up spills which can occur during the procedures carried out in a controlled environment of a clean room. In addition, wipes are used for wiping surfaces of various equipment and items in controlled environments.
Unfortunately, traditional wipes fail to protect the gloves of operators from contact with the contaminants picked up by the wipes. The very nature of the wipe, which requires a high degree of absorbency, militates against a construction that resists wetting and contaminating a glove holding the wipe. Contaminants removed with the wipe, for example chemicals, nuclear materials, radio-chemicals and high potency active pharmaceutical ingredients (HPAPIs) may end up contaminating the glove, thereby requiring the disposal of the glove as hazardous waste. In addition, when different parts of a wipe are attached together with an adhesive, there is the risk that it may end up contaminating the items cleaned with the wipe, especially if the contaminants are in the liquid form.